


The Gift He Didn't Know He Needed

by RedKitsune



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF
Genre: Actor Tom Hiddleston, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, Holiday Special, Power Outage, Stranded, decorating for holidays, frozen Tom, romance in a cabin, wine and whiskey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-02 00:37:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16776109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedKitsune/pseuds/RedKitsune
Summary: Being newly single during the holiday season was a drag under the best of circumstances. Spending the holidays far from him and surrounded by happy families made it sting even more. In an effort to hide from the pain, Tom thought it a good idea to book himself a cabin away from town to wallow in his misery. Unfortunately, bad directions and even worse luck aligned and he found himself lost on a mountain during a blizzard. Woefully unprepared for the arctic weather, the world set about turning him into a true frost giant when the engine cut off and refused to return to life. With no cell phone signal, Tom was lost as to what to do about his situation until a truck rolled to a stop and his salvation stepped out into a flurry of snow.





	The Gift He Didn't Know He Needed

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Just some insinuated smut, drinking and hey- if you’re going out in below freezing weather please bring the correct gear even if you don’t plan to spend time outside. 
> 
> My entry into loki-the-fox‘s Holiday challenge on Tumblr with prompts 10 (”How did you manage to get tangled up in tinsel?”) and 21 (Winter power outage). This was massively fun and highly based on winters back home. 

* * *

Tom cursed to himself as the SUV he drove rolled to a halt on the side of the road. Wind howled outside blowing snow all around. It was very likely he had made a wrong turn leaving the small town.

“It’s only about 15 minutes out.” The man had said, directing him to the cabin he had rented to spend the holiday in.

He could have stayed with the crew but he wasn’t in the mood to be around them. The heartbreak was too fresh still and spending the Christmas holiday with the film crew and their spouses wouldn’t do anything to soothe the pain. If he couldn’t spend the time with his own family, he’d rather spend it alone.

Stepping out, he looked dumbly at the vehicle that decided to no longer work for him. It was cold. That was actually putting it lightly, it was a bitter cold that cut right through his puffy coat as if he wasn’t wearing it at all.

Looking behind him, all he saw was white dancing in the wind. The road ahead was much the same. A quick look to his cell phone told him he had no signal. To the right was a steep rock cliff, climbing into the white sky though how high he could not say. Off to the other side was a steep drop off, a guard rail the only thing that separated the road from the fall into white mist. It was as if the small stretch of the road was all that existed in a world of misty white.

“Great. Loki dies in the middle of nowhere in a bloody blizzard. How ironic.” A bitter laugh slipped past his lips as he tried to figure out what to do before he froze to death.

* * *

Nadine cursed as her truck slowly climbed the mountain. She really shouldn’t have bothered going into town today, but there were some big shot actors visiting, filming for something or another that needed what Alaska had the best of: snow, ice and remote locations.

Personally, Nadine couldn’t care less about the film crew but her mother had a habit of collecting crushes on men younger than her. A autograph from Tom something or another, a kid hardly into his early twenties was high on her wish list. She had been warned not to confuse the kid with the other, older Tom because apparently there were more than one big shot actors by the name of ‘Tom’ visiting. 

Nadine couldn’t rightfully justify not trying, Mom didn’t ask for much and with her health failing she wouldn’t be able to go to any fan events for a long time yet, if ever again. That was a thought better left alone. 

She went into town nearly every day that month and as the holiday approached, she had no autograph. Regardless, she would keep trying so long as the crew was in town, it was the least she could do. Maybe she would succeed before New Years and her mother could still get the perfect gift, though a bit late.

The snow kept falling, large fat flakes that quickly would coat the ground in inches. It was a rare well timed blizzard that would give the kids who lived closer to town a perfect Winter Wonderland for the holiday. Nadine however, cursed the weather. It was warmer with the thick blanket of clouds, hovering around -14 degrees F but it would make the mountain roads impassable for a few days at least after the storm passed.

In the back of the truck, under tarps was a large load of groceries tucked next to a even larger load of split wood she was very thankful for. Living this far out of town, you could never have two much of either during the winter.

As the truck slowly rumbled around the bend, she almost didn’t see the Silver SUV in time. Tires slide across the slick road as she navigated the skid around the still vehicle that sat mostly off the road, swearing all the while as she came to a stop.

People don’t stop on the mountain unless they had no choice. It was normally safe for travel as moose, caribou and bears were all scarce along the passes preferring to avoid the steep drops of the cliffs.People don’t just stop on the side of the road in a blizzard half way up a mountain. 

“What the hell?” With a huff, she slipped on her insulated gloves and arctic coat, zipping it before tucking a hat over her head. She really, really did not want to get out of the warmth of her truck but she could see a light inside the still SUV. Snow had only just started to gather on the hood, telling her that the engine hadn’t been running in a while and the occupant was probably cold but wouldn’t have froze solid yet.

Before she opened the door, she cranked the heat up on her truck as high as it would go. When she slammed the heavy door closed, the wind nearly took her off her feet. Moving into town seemed like a really good idea, just then.

“Hello?” Her voice was lost in the wind as she walked up to the SUV, slipping a glove off her hand and knocking on the glass of the window.

The sound of her knuckles on the glass seemed to startle the man. He jerked his head up from where it rested against the steering wheel, eyes wide. It struck her how handsome he was and how familiar he looked but she couldn’t place him right away. It was like it was dancing on the tip of her tongue.

She moved aside as he opened the door, stepping out. Wind blew his short brown hair around, ruining how he had it perfectly combed back. He smiled at her and she was struck by the sharpness of his jawline and the warmth of his smile.

“Oh hello, Darling. I feared that I’d not see anyone at all.” The voice that poured from his mouth was warm and reminded her of honeyed tea.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” She counted as he huddled into his coat, clearly puffy but not adequately rated for the weather. Accent marked him as English and far from home almost as obviously as the puffy coat.

“I had rented a cabin for the week but I fear I’d become lost on the way. I was going turn around and head back for town when the bloody engine just stopped.” The man ran his long lightly gloved hand through his hair, putting it back in place only to have the wind ruffle it back up.

“You’re insane coming out here in this weather.” Nadine scolded him, reaching in to the SUV test what happened when she tired to start it. The answer? Absolutely nothing. It was dead in the water and she was many things but a auto mechanic, she was not.

“I’m Tom and I’m bloody freezing.” The man rubbed his long hands together before cupping them to his face, puffing his breath into them to try and warm his red nose.

“Nadine. Your knight in a shining Toyota.” It was cold and she didn’t offer her hand for a handshake, not that he had made move to offer his. In subzero weather, formalities and manners could be cast aside in order to avoid frost bite. “Grab your things and get in before you become a actual Frost Giant.”

“Ah, you know me then?” Tom laughed at her as he opened the hatchback and grabbed two suitcases and a garment bag out. Tossing the bag over his shoulder, he grabbed a gym bag and slung that over top before picking up the suitcases as if it was nothing. He was clearly strong.

“Watched The Night Manager mostly.” She admitted. “My cousins like Marvel but unless it is on Amazon or Netflix, I don’t tend to watch much. It did take me a bit to place you however.”

When the bags were settled in the very limited space that passed as a ‘back seat’ in her truck, Tom climbed in and moaned at the warmth. Nadine settled into the driver’s seat and slipped out of her gloves, tossed them and her hat behind her before shimmying out of her coat. She tried very hard to ignore the way his moan sounded so nearly pornographic.

“Will you take me back to town?” Tom asked, slipping his overly puffy coat off and shoving it behind him like she had done.

“The storm is just getting worse. Going back down at this point would be dangerous. I can try, if you really want but…”

“You’re the expert. If I’m so crazy for being out in this, what brought you up this way?” Tom smiled at her as she put the truck into gear. At first the wheels didn’t want to grab onto the road and she swore under her breath. Luckily, the truck began to roll forward a few seconds later.

“I live up the mountain. It’s not much, but it will be warm. You can stay until the storm passes, if you’d like.” It was a hollow offer, she had absolutely no intention of driving back down the mountain in a blizzard, regardless of what his answer was.

“I’d hate to infringe on your space and your holiday.” Tom spoke softly, small smile on his face. “Yet, I find I have to accept your hospitality. I’d rather not freeze.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the truck struggled to climb up a steep driveway before she allowed it to roll to a stop in front of a small yet picture perfect cabin. Tom could have sworn such sights only existed in postcards and staged photos, though logically he knew otherwise.

“Go open it up, try not to slip on the steps. It’s the fox key.” Nadine tossed her keys to him as she zipped the coat up and slipped on gloves again. “We’ve got a bit to unload but there is a shovel by the door if you want to clear the steps real fast so we don’t die on them.”

The snow was up to his shins and his legs were cold but he did as asked without complaint before joining her at the back of the truck. She had the plastic grocery bags sitting on the ground and was reaching for his bags when he returned to her side.

It didn’t take long for them to bring in the bags and set them on the sturdy dining table. It was warmer inside, but not nearly warm enough and Tom was in no hurry to slip out of his coat again.

“When were you last here?” Tom couldn’t resist asking. “Are you sure the heat works?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to let you freeze.” Nadine laughed at him, slipping her own coat off and hanging it up before kneeling by a metal box sitting next to the door.

“I’m not worried.” Tom lied.

Nadine just laughed as she pulled the control panel open. A few buttons beeped as she pressed them, adjusting the temperature setting on the heater from 40 degrees, what she kept it on when she was away to 70. The heater clicked a few times before the fans engaged and heat poured out of the vent with a whoosh.

“Come here and stop shivering, will you?” Nadine sat herself down in front of the vent, being careful to avoid the puddles of water and slipped her boots off.

“Oh that’s nice.” Tom groaned as he knelt down next to her before allowing himself to sit on the ground, soaking up the warmth as he slipped what appeared to be worn and well loved cowboy boots off his feet. Not even remotely appropriate for the weather.

“I keep it just warm enough that nothing freezes when I’m gone” Nadine offered as she stood back up and stretched.

Tom dearly tried to avoid looking as her shirt moved to exposed the delicate skin of her stomach. The skin looked soft and warm. He had the insane urge to press his fingers into the skin, to warm them not with the heat from the oil heater but with her body.

“Not traveling for the Holiday?” Tom asked after swallowing thickly, watching her as she went into the kitchen, putting away groceries as he warmed his limbs longer.

“Leaving Alaska is expensive. Most of my family lives too far away so I just stay here.” She shrugged. “What about you? Work must be a shitty way to spend Christmas.”

“Filming schedules sometimes leave much to be desired.”

“That sucks.” It was such a lame thing to say.

Tom stood, finally having feeling back in his fingers and toes and followed her through the kitchen and dining space and into the small living room.

“So you were going to just spend Christmas alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere? Not even a girlfriend to come spend it with you?”

Inside the living room was a short couch, a small TV and bookshelves. In the far corner sat a ink black monstrosity of a wood stove. Next to the back door sat a large rack full of wood, stacked nearly ceiling high. A silver bucket sat in front of the stack, full of kindling and waste paper.

“You mean to judge my solitude when you planned to do the same?” A laugh slipped out of his mouth and softened his words. “Also, when one gets dumped right before the holiday it’s hard to come up with a back up plan.”

“You’ve got a point there, good sir. But at least I have a tree.” With a grunt, she wrenched up the leaver that kept the heavy door to the stove closed. Once she had it open, she swept out the ashes and knocked the stack out of habit, making sure any animal hiding inside had warning enough to abandon their place.

“It’s not even decorated.” Damn him and his points.

“If you want it decorated, you’re going to have to help. I’m sorry about the dumping, that always sucks.” Her voice echoed in the wood stove. “Grab me the bucket and a few small logs, will you?”

Tom was quick to her side as he peered inside. “It happens. Often it seems. I thought you already got the heat situated?”

“That heater is enough for the kitchen and bathroom, keeps the pipes from freezing but it wont keep us comfortable on its own. This warms the living room and bedroom.” It hit her then. Bedroom. Singular. There was no way a man as tall as him would be able to sleep on her small couch. She’d have to give up her bed and that would suck.

“Ah, well one shouldn’t be cold while they sleep.” Was all Tom said and she prayed he would leave sleeping arrangements alone for now.

She stacked the four small logs, really more like thick branches in a square, filling the center with paper and kindling before crossing two more branches across the top. It took two strikes of steel against the flint for the paper to ignite. White the fire took hold in the thick branches, she went back to grab some small pieces of split logs, tossing them on top, leaving room between for the fire to breath.

“you’re good at that.” Tom commented as she closed the door, adjusted the vents and turned on the fan. Warm firelight spilled from the window in the front of the door.

“I’d hope so, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.” Nadine grabbed a wet wipe out of a pack kept near the wood stove, tucked off to the side and wiped the soot off her hands. “I’ve got the decorations under the dining table. If you want to grab them, we can kill some time? May as well make it a little festive since we are stuck spending the holiday with each other.”

* * *

Tom had set out a center piece on the dining table, arranged candles on her coffee table and had a perfectly marvelous time hanging jelled window decorations on the large downstairs windows. For someone who had planned on spending Christmas alone, he had a childlike glee about him as he buzzed around decorating while she unpacked the decorations for the tree.

The man was even humming Christmas songs as he came back into the living room. She looked up to find him standing next to where she knelt, uncorked wine bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other. Well, she had told him to make himself at home.

“Want some, Darling?” Tom smiled and she resisted the urge to ask if he meant the wine or him, knowing full well he was talking about the wine.

“It’s a bit early but what the hell. It’s not like I’ll be driving anywhere for a day at least.” She took a glass from him and smiled as he filled it. Not too full but certifiably not skimping either.

“Is it?” A look of confusion passed over his face and Nadine couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“It’s only four.” She admitted, tossing a glitter covered globe at him. It hit his chest, leaving glitter on his shirt as evidence of her attack.

“Is it truly?” He looked at his watch as if she was lying. “It is! The darkness must have confused me.”

One glass of wine turned into two. Two turned into a fresh bottle being needed. When the wine ran out, they were a giggling, laughing mess as they managed to cover the tree in colorful globes and glistering white lights. They ate chips and canned pasta, having more fun together than they had expected.

“Aww, the bottle’s empty.” Tom whined as he went to refill his glass and only got a few drops. “This was the last bottle in the cabinet that I saw.”

The pout on his face was adorable. She crawled over to him on her hands and knees. With the wine well into his system, he couldn’t help but to look down her shirt, admiring the view. When she sat up on her knees he didn’t know what to expect but he knew damn well what he wanted. 

A slender finger reached out and poked him in the cheek. That was all it took for them both to be lost to a fit of giggles, Tom leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder as laughter worked through his body. The rich smell of the red wine seemed to cling to him as she rested her own head against his.

“What if I told you I have a bottle of whiskey?” He smiled so wide at her words that she could feel it in his face, pressed far too close to her shoulder.

“I’d be very pleased if you told me you have a bottle of Whiskey, Darling. You have no idea.” The weight of his arm draped around her back as he spoke. Warmth from his breath collected on her shoulder and neck where it seemed to spread, feeding her blush.

“Back door.” Her voice almost failed her. “Right against the wall. You may have to dig in the snow some.”

“Outside?” He pulled back and looked at her, eyebrow cocked and a serious look on his face. “At least we wont need ice.”

All of a sudden he was up, door open and he was gone for all of two seconds before he returned.

“That was a terrible idea. I’m getting boots.”

He laughed as his long legs took him through the living space, around the corner into the kitchen. She laughed as she listened to him fumbling around, the boots falling from his hands a few times. It sounded as if he bumped into the dining table hard on his way back into the living room with his coat and gloves on in addition to the boots.

“If you don’t come back in ten minutes I’ll send a search party.” Just as her joke left her, the power flickered in warning before they were plunged into darkness with the only light coming from the window in the wood stove.

“Did you do that?” Tom asked, hand on the doorknob.

“Nope. I’ll get lanterns when you come back in, you go get the whiskey.” Nadine wanted to finish the tree before doing anything else and the stove provided enough warm light in the living room to manage that much. .

It should have been a simple task, the light of the fire burning in the wood stove provided enough light combined with the moonlight shining in from the large window set for a dim yet romantic mood. Grabbing strands of silver tinsel she made quick work of hanging it over the branches. 

Yet, it seemed the dry winter air was determined to be her downfall and with each handful of tinsel, more and more stuck to her. The static cling could not be defeated it seamed and before she knew it, she was tangled in strands. Tinsel was the devil, so pretty yet such a pain in the ass every single year.

“How did you manage to get tangled up in tinsel?” Tom asked, returning to the cabin with the frosty bottle in hand only to be met with the sight of Nadine, picking at strands that seemed to just wrap themselves around her the second she let go of them.

“Oh do shut up.” She huffed when she flung a strand off her hand only to have it float up, carried on warm air then cling to her face much to Tom’s amusement.

“Alright, fuck the tinsel. I’m one with the tinsel now.” Nadine was up off the floor with a sigh, heading to get her coat and boots. “I’ll be right back, the lamps are in the shed.”

The sky was clear and with the light of the nearly full moon, she didn’t need a flashlight to see her way around the familiar grounds. The snow was cold and as she shuffled her way through the nearly knee deep snow, shovel in hand she knew she was going to have to change into some more comfortable and surely drier pants after this. Maybe then she could be freed from the annoying tinsel.

She had to shovel out a space for the door to open but it was quick work. While the snow was plentiful in volume, it was light and dry, a product of the arctic temperatures. It took only a few minutes to clear it up and grab the four oil lanterns out of the shed along with a canteen of oil. Setting them in the snow, she took a moment to poke around the generator, verifying that it was fueled up and ready to go before starting it up. It wasn’t much but if she used it just to power the fans to circulate the heat from the wood stove and the refrigerator and a few select outlets, she had enough fuel to last her over two months if need be. Nadine liked to be prepared.

Snagging up the lanterns and oil, she began the slow trek inside. Tom was kind enough to meet her inside the door, glass of whiskey in hand for her. Ever the gentleman, he helped her out of her coat and even went so far as to kneel down and assist her out of her boots.

“Loki, kneeling before me?” She couldn’t help but laugh as she sipped the cold whiskey.

“Ah, but a God will only kneel before a Goddess.” The comment caught her off guard and warmth shot through her. It wasn’t even worth trying to lie to herself and say the flush on her face was purely from the cold. The wine and whiskey mixed and she couldn’t help but laugh just the same.

Once she was freed from her boots, she grabbed a lighter from the drawer and light the four lamps before handing him one.

“One for the kitchen, one for the living room.” She instructed, hooking one on a hook that hung from the top of the kitchen window after adjusting the flame. “One for you to keep with you, one for me.”

“Is this safe?” Tom asked, following her into the living room with his lamp in hand.

“Safe enough. Just don’t knock it over.” Worry creased his face, reminding Nadine that he was a city boy and completely out of his element. She took his lamp and set it on the coffee table, next to the designated 'living room lamp’ and her own before taking both his hands in hers and waiting for him to lock eyes with her.

“This is my home. This happens every winter a few times. Yeah, we have no power but I have a gen that can run for two months if I’m smart with it. I’ve got enough wood for most of the winter. I’ve got a full tank of oil, a well and a full water tank. We’ve got food. Right now, the Gen is only putting power to this room, the water pump and the fridge. We have heat, we have food. Yeah, the power’s down and we can’t exactly get back to town but give it a few days and everything will be fine, I promise.”

Tom stood silently as she spoke before turning his hands to hold hers. Large thumbs rubbed circles on the backs of her hands and finally, he smiled at her and nodded.

What he did next, Nadine did not expect as she stood with him in a room decorated in dark woods and rich colors, lit only by the light of flames and the twinkle of tinsel and glitter on the tree. Maybe she should have expected it, it was a very romantic setting

It happened so fast and yet time seemed to slow at the same time. It was confusing, mind boggling and yet in every way, perfect. Slowly, his head dipped down, leaning forward as let go of her hand. It turned out, he had needed his hand free to cup her face, running the long fingers over her skin as he caressed his way down her throat.

On instinct alone, Nadine tipped her head back, giving him more room, presenting both her mouth and neck to him. His touch was feather soft yet she could feel the strength of his hand as he made his way behind her neck, pushing his fingers through the hair.

It seemed to take forever, but finally his lips met hers. It was hesitant, as if he wasn’t aware of how badly she wanted, no needed him to kiss her by then. It was as if he wasn’t aware that her breath was coming in short pants, cheeks flushed and lips parted in anticipation.

It was sweet and his breath was spiced with the scent of wine and whiskey. She rested her hand against his chest, feeling the thin cotton of his navy sweater and the heat of his body. Under her hand, she could feel the rapid beating of his heart. When he let go of her other hand, she made quick work of draping it around his neck, pulling him closer to her even as he mirrored the action with a hand securely wrapped around her waist.

Then, it was over. She could still feel the ghost of his lips against hers as he pulled away, taking a deep breath and looking at the ceiling before looking down at her again. His eyes held nothing but warmth even as the lines of worry etched their way onto his face.

“I’m sorry, that was terribly forward.” The words were whispered, husky. “I fear I’ve maybe had too much wine and perhaps I should retire before I overstep any more.”

“You’re not going to fit on the couch.” Nadine whispered, making no move to free herself from his arms.

“I can make do, if need be.” They were dancing around something, she could tell. One just had to say the word and the dam would break. Someone just had to be brave enough to say it.

“The bed is big enough.” She took her lip between her teeth as he gave a shuddered breath. “If you’d like that is. I don’t mind but I do need to get out of these jeans.”

“If you’re certain you are comfortable sharing.” His eyes were locked on her lip, worried between her teeth making him want nothing more than to kiss her, to take her up to her room and make her cry out his name.

“I am certain I need to get out of these pants…” Nadine backed away, stepping out of his reach and grabbed up one lamp, blowing out the flame before repeating the action with the second. Snatching up the only lit lamp, she made her way to the doorway, leading into the kitchen and stairs before turning and giving him a coy smile.

“My pants are positively soaked, Tom and I’m still tangled in tinsel. I do need to get out of them.”

Never would Tom have thought he would be so happy to be stuck in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard without power for almost a week. Tom didn’t realize it that night, but a few nights later, lying in the large bed with Nadine tucked against his chest Tom smiled to himself for he got exactly what he needed for Christmas that year. If he played his cards right, perhaps he could make a habit of spending every holiday like this, naked and isolated but for the company of the woman he somehow already loved.


End file.
